Overview
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the transfer on Tuesday, Aug 25, 2026, authorising DRDO to licence technologies for all conventional (non‑strategic) missile systems to eligible Indian firms for domestic production.
- The programme covers non‑nuclear missiles commonly cited by media as likely candidates — including Akash, Astra, Nag and Pralay — while strategic nuclear systems such as the Agni series remain excluded.
- DRDO will work with industry to help absorb the technologies and the Ministry of Defence plans to pick development‑cum‑production partners through competitive bidding rather than nomination‑only awards.
- Officials say the change is meant to widen the supplier base, bring MSMEs into missile supply chains, raise domestic value addition and create capacity to surge production during crises or export opportunities.
- The decision builds on years of policy shifts such as the DcPP model and prior technology transfers that moved India from DPSU‑dominated serial production toward a broader public‑private defence industrial ecosystem.